The Book of War by Melissa McShane

Author:Melissa McShane [McShane, Melissa]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Melissa McShane

13

I’d long ago given up trying to guess how big the Gunther Node was, but this room surprised even me. It was the size and height of a high school auditorium, with rows of metal chairs rather than permanently-installed folding seats, and it smelled of oil and exhaust like the node’s airplane hangar even though there were no doors big enough to admit a vehicle bigger than a moped. It could probably hold two hundred people with a handful of others standing along the walls. At the moment, there were fewer than thirty.

The seven of us genetic sports sat near the front of the room. We were bundled up in those oversized black cardigans with cowl hoods that made us look like medieval monks from the knees up. The fake mint scent was fainter, but not gone completely. Wallach assured me that only someone wearing one could smell it, but I could imagine the odor giving us away and hoped he was right.

Viv and Judy sat next to me. I’d tried to say it wasn’t their fight and they’d just glared at me, so I’d given up. It wasn’t as if they were going into battle just because they were here for this briefing.

Briefing. That sounded so…military. So not me. But I would do anything, including not be myself, if it meant getting Malcolm back. I’d called Ariadne Duwelt and informed her Abernathy’s would not be opening today. I was betting on the Board of Neutralities not being willing to challenge me, but I didn’t much care if they did.

Off to one side sat four stone magi. They would get us to what Lucia called the deployment point in Montana, a safe area where wards had been installed for ward-stepping. They were chatting quietly among themselves just like none of this mattered to them. It irritated me.

On the other hand, the two glass magi who stood near the door were silent and alert. One held a clear plastic box full of tiny things that glittered in the light. The other had a glass cornucopia tucked under one arm and what looked like a clear crystal Rubik’s cube in her other hand. They looked like they took their responsibilities seriously, which reassured me. We were counting on them even more than on our gadgets to get us through this.

In the row behind us sat three fighting teams, including Malcolm’s, bristling with weapons. They were our backup, and the first line of fighters for when we’d shut off the generator. I’d greeted them when we all entered the room, but now my attention was on Lucia, who stood at the front of the auditorium next to Wallach. There were dark circles beneath her eyes, but she moved as if she’d had a full night’s sleep.

“The plan is simple,” she told us. “You’ll all ward-step to outside the compound, and the teams will take Davies and her people to where they’ll infiltrate the compound, guided by Stentson and McGee.” She gestured at the glass magi, who nodded alertly.

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